Ocean Bank announced it has hired Christopher Sanz as senior vice president and head of its new Preferred Practice division.

In his new role, Sanz leads a group of specialized lenders providing customized banking solutions to physician-owned practices and other professional service businesses.

Sanz, who has been in South Florida banking for nearly 15 years, was most recently Physician Practice group leader at BankUnited, where he was a top producing team manager. He previously held sales and leadership roles at PNC and Bank of America.